


X's and Oh Nos

by clarityhiding



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Clark Kent is a Troll, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Happy Ending, Identity Porn, Multi, Not Beta Read, Not!Fic, Sickfic, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tim Drake is Red X, Tim Drake is Robin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28277475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarityhiding/pseuds/clarityhiding
Summary: Soulmark AU in a world where Batman and Robin have been operating under the radar for years as local urban legends, removed and apart from the rest of the hero community. All well and good except for how sometimes Robins need friends. And if they're too clever, they start to make really complicated plots and plans to go about doing just that.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane/Bruce Wayne, Kon-El | Conner Kent/Cassie Sandsmark, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent/Cassie Sandsmark
Comments: 22
Kudos: 114





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hahaaaa... This was written as a campfire on [Capes & Coffee](https://discord.gg/7fYhMBv) the Tim Drake Discord server over the course of a week? It got... really long. Wow.
> 
> This is going to update regularly! I haven't decided the schedule yet, though, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see?? \o/

Soulmark AU in a world where Batman and Robin (and later Nightwing) have been operating under the radar for years! They're urban legends in Gotham (and later Blüdhaven), removed and apart from the rest of the hero community as Bruce is Highly Paranoid and even worse at feelings than in canon.

* * *

When Cassie joins Young Justice, she learns shortly after that she and Kon have matching soulmarks! But they don't feel any tingle when they first meet/touch? Which means that one of them has a false mark, though they don't know which it is. It's only going to be one of them but they won't have any way of figuring out which until they find another person with the same soulmark and see who successfully bonds with the third person.

In the meantime, they stick together because they have common interests and enjoy each other's company. Everyone says they're dating, but they always laugh that off, because why bother dating someone who's not your perfect match in a world with soulmates—which they already know they very much aren't. (Sometimes whispering to each other late at night, when it's dark and all the lights are out, when forbidden secrets can be shared because you can pretend ignorance in the light of day. "I wish it was you." "I hope they never find us." "Why can't it be you? The mark's right there." "What if it's wrong?" "Why can't we—") But they don't and they keep their distance in light of day because there are some taboos you don't break, no matter how much you feel like you should.

* * *

Tim creates Red X because he wants to team up with other teen heroes (his peers!!) but Batman insists that they must remain urban legends and they _definitely_ can't let anyone know there are non-meta heroes out there (Bruce just ignoring the entire Arrowfam and/or hiding their existence from Tim because sometimes he's an idiot).

As Red X, Tim is always completely covered with no bare skin (first touch/bare skin is required to initiate the bond). Also, unbeknownst to him, the Xynothium in his costume is forming a sort of anti-soulbond shield (and possibly leaving a residue behind that does the same thing to a weaker extent even when he's not wearing it), so no tingle.

He isn't able to spend a lot of time with Young Justice outside of saving the day (because he's doing this behind the backs of both his parents and Batman), so he doesn't hear about Cassie and Kon's peculiar situation. He assumes they're soulmates because they're so close to one another—finishing each other's sentences, always arriving to save the day together, dropping comments that indicate they spend a significant amount of time together outside of heroing, etc. (Perhaps the "normalness" of a not-quite soulmate causes Kon to settle down in Kansas a lot sooner. Or maybe Helena has half-adopted him because this isn't her daughter's soulmate, but they're clearly close friends and this kid needs a responsible parent type! Also, I feel like maybe YJ suffered some horrible tragedy early on before Red X joined due to lack of Robin; as a result all of them are a bit more sober than their canon counterparts.) He doesn't need to see their soulmarks to see that they're _obviously_ soulmates, so it doesn't even occur to him to wonder.

 ~~(Maybe Cissie died.)~~ (Cissie didn't die, Bonnie just lost custody of her to Helena Sandsmark and Cissie retired from superheroing much earlier than in canon, avoiding all the grimdark stuff.)

In this universe, Red X isn't part of the standard team line up, being a sort of irregular member who occasionally joins them on missions after the fighting has already started. When X first began showing up, the others tried inviting them back to Mt. Justice for pizza, but they insisted that they couldn't, they had to get back, all the while nervously glancing around. It's assumed by YJ that Red X is very antsy about protecting their secret identity (true). Cassie and Greta in particular are concerned that they might have a bad home situation (because X is always so nervous, glancing around, making sure no one's watching, stuff like that), but don't know how to broach that topic with a casual acquaintance. There's a constant debate going on about whether it's okay for Impulse or Secret to try and follow X back to check on them.

(Also, Red X uses a voice scrambler for greater subterfuge and as a result of that plus very solid/smoothing body armor, YJ aren't sure of X's gender. Since X refuses to give clues one way or another, the team has defaulted to they/them and it's stuck.)

Anyway, because of all these various factors, it means that even if Tim _does_ see Kon or Cassie's soulmark during a battle (maybe clothing gets torn, or cover-up smears, or something), he'll assume they're soulmates and he's the one with a false mark because, duh, he's never felt a tingle from either of them (not realizing that Xynothium is one of the few things that can block a soulbond from forming). (Actually, the Xynothium is probably what threw a wrench in their bonds in the first place—everything was fine and good and on-track for them bonding once Kon was created/decanted and they started meeting each other... and then Jack Drake brought back this rare element on a dig and left it in his study and his son started experimenting with it in his free time and one thing led to another and it was a while before Tim had all the technology necessary to really _do_ anything with it, but his early exposure to the element has caused a sort of soulbond static that won't be clear until he quits the X completely.)

Now I'm imagining Helena basically becoming co-den mother to YJ along with Red Tornado, because now she is responsible for ~~two~~ three of these kids (Cassie and Kon and eventually Cissie), she is determined for them to stay safe while they save the world! This is how she learns of the kids' new friend, Red X, and how they always disappear when invited to hang out after a fight. After the incident with Bonnie, Helena is on edge about kid heroes who may be heroing under less than ideal circumstances. At the same time, the kids beg her not to inform the Justice League of X, because that would be a violation of the trust X has placed in YJ! The kids only told her because she isn't a hero, and they feel like they need some Responsible Parent Advice on how to handle the situation!

So she's kind of in a quandary—how can she check up on this kid without violating their privacy? She has a speedster and a ghost at her disposal—is there maybe a way to utilize these assets in a respectful, non-invasive way? (The YJ kids all trust Helena because even though she can get a bit overprotective at times, they saw that what Bonnie was doing wasn't right and Helena fought tooth and nail to protect Cissie and get her out of that toxic situation, even though in the end it meant Arrowette had to leave the team.)

(Cissie still hangs out with them at the mountain sometimes, I think. I'm gonna say she was removed from Bonnie's care and Helena is actually fostering her atm. As opposed to effectively fostering Kon, he's there so often. Heck, maybe Helena also asks the Kents for help with the Red X Problem—she probably knows them by now, since they're effectively coparenting a teen together.)

Just. Superhero parents teaming up to look after/defend the YJ! Stand up against the JL and defend the kids' right to use their extraordinary powers to help! (Someone has to fill the Nightwing gap.)

Meanwhile, back in Gotham, here's Tim, very pleased with himself for balancing _two_ secret identities AND high school! He's totally on top of things! (He is not on top of things and is failing World Civ.) For those unaware: Tim is _always_ failing World Civ, no matter what age/year/school.

Mostly he's failing because he keeps sleeping through it, actually. And because so much of it is bogus in his mind—as Robin (and Red X!) and Jack Drake's son, he knows there's a _lot_ of stuff that never makes it into the history books about some of the really crazy stuff that went on in these various ancient societies. (He keeps making the mistake of writing the few papers he remembers to do using first hand experience/stuff his dad has told him instead of reading the textbook.)

Do you know how many rogues have creepy powers because of ancient amulets/rituals/etc.? Or how many ancient-but-still-active societies secretly controlling various world leaders pop up? Tim's own stepmother got _possessed by ancient evil at the wedding!_

It's. A thing.

Tim's also somewhat morose because while fighting side-by-side with other teen heroes is everything he dreamed it would be, he kind of wants… more. Wants to say yes to the endless string of hopeful invites, wants to spend time with them outside of fights. Wants to ask them how they cope with balancing hero and civilian life, what their relationships are like with their mentors. (I feel like this Bruce is a lot more aloof than canon Bruce. He didn't take on Tim as a Robin because of the whole "Batman Needs A Robin" speech but rather because the minute Tim showed up and admitted to knowing that Batman and Robin and Nightwing were all real, he had to be inducted as a part of damage control. _No one can know the truth._ )

He wishes Dick was around more to help him figure out this stuff, but Dick is in Blüdhaven and Tim is supposed to spend as little time as possible with him and Bruce as possible outside the mask because paranoid Bruce is paranoid. (Like… he probably let Tim go into foster care while Jack was in a coma—that's how paranoid and uncooperative this Bruce is.) (He's extra-grumpy because he doesn't have any friends outside of Robins and Alfred.)

* * *

Sooo… Bruce is soulmates with Clark and Lois, which is discovered during one _very awkward_ interview.

(Bruce—so paranoid about someone discovering that Batman is real that he fails to realize one of his soulmates is Superman.)

Lois & Clark: *get kidnapped while in Gotham to have dinner with their soulmate*

Batman: *stealthily sticks to shadows to rescue them so they won't realize it was Batman who did it* 

Clark: *sees him right away because amazing Kryptonian vision, and recognizes his heartbeat, and feels Bruce's Very Srs Business mindset through the empathy link*

Lois & Clark, sharing a look but not saying anything: *that one meme, only instead of "Beyonce? :D?" it's "Bruce Wayne? :D?"*

Afterwards, Clark's like, "So, about this habit you have of dressing up like a furry to save the day…"

"I do no such thing."

"It's alright," Lois reassures him. "At least you wear a mask when you do it. I still can't convince Clark to bother."

BUT all this _does_ mean that intrepid investigative reporters are keen to ask/verify all the Batman urban legends they've been gathering over the years (you never know when something might make a good story!). Including the one about a small, brightly-colored lad. (Actually, if they're urban legends, Robin is probably more browns and forest greens and less bright colors.)

It's really, really hard to hide things from your soulmates after the soulbond has taken (so, after you've met them ~~if you haven't got any Xynothium~~ ), so before long he's giving them a tour of the Cave. And the next thing Bruce knows, ~~Clark~~ Superman is asking if Robin would be interested in joining a sort of junior superhero club, it's supposed to be great, very stimulating, extra responsible now that one of the moms has taken an interest, his parents are talking his ear off all the time, lamenting that such a thing wasn't available when Clark himself was a boy, ha ha.

From the shadows comes an anxious voice. "But I haven't got any powers. Unpowered people don't get to be a part of teams."

"Oh, well. Young Arrowette didn't either, and she was a valuable member of Young Justice."

"Was," Bruce growls pointedly. "Past tense."

"Only because she voluntarily retired when it came out that it was something she was doing for her mom, not because she wanted to," Clark reassures him. "She's very much alive and well."

So then Robin gets to join YJ! But still doesn't get a spark from Kon or Cassie because of the lingering Xynothium that's leached from the suit and into his body over the years. (But now it's just a matter of time before someone informs him of the fact that they're non-reciprocal OR the Xynothium finally flushes from his system—whichever comes first!)

* * *

Meanwhile, Helena and the OG kids are getting Extra Anxious because Red X has just _dropped off the map??_

Nothing happens to the marks, they're static (there's no filling in or "finishing") and unchanging. And Tim would be surprised but not think of it as odd because if he's ever become aware that his mark matches theirs, he's assumed he's the non-reciprocal. And he hasn't spent enough time with them up until joining the team as Robin to actually _know_ and befriend them—and once he does join the team, he stuffs the Red X costume and the remaining Xynothium in a little-used side-chamber in the Cave and forgets about it because why would he go back to being Red X when he can have _friends_?

It's totally weird—why are they so worried about this kid they barely know? He tries to tell them that probably X just got super busy with life or something, but they sort of freeze him out of the conversation when he (in their minds) keeps "misgendering" X as male. (Tim wasn't even aware of the fact that they'd all headcanoned X as nb! How was he supposed to know? He's a boy, he kinda thought it would be obvious that Red X—i.e., _him_ —is a boy! This is all sooooo confusing.)

It probably turns out one of them saved one of the x's. Cissie (who has been hearing about this kid for ages and wants to help) has the bright idea of trying to trace the special substance it's made of! And Kon, who knows a bit more about the Bats than the rest of them on account of how his dad/brother and step-mom/sister-in-law are soulmates with Batman, turns to Robin and, "You can help with that, right? You're a junior detective or something, aren't you?"

Tim is. Unsure how to progress? He… likes? Likes. He _likes_ Superboy and the rest, they're nice and a lot more fun to hang out with than paranoid Batman or too-busy Nightwing. But it would be _very bad_ if they tracked down the Red X suit. Very bad. He'd be in so much trouble on multiple fronts (with Batman for breaking the rules, with his dad for stealing the Xynothium artifact, with both of them for sneaking around, with YJ for lying…). _It can never happen._

So here's Robin (Tim), having to think of excuses as to why he can't do his detective thing—the _one_ skill he can bring to this team of amazing, super-powered individuals that they didn't already have—to find out the location/identity/etc. of Red X (also Tim). It is. Not going well. Definitely undermining his ability to bond with the team. Maybe he should just quit YJ as Robin and come back as Red X, since everyone likes Red X so much better??

They barely know Red X. X just made an appearance for some fights, didn't say much, then disappeared (literally disappeared—one of Red X's abilities is teleportation). YJ just knew X was a reliable ally when they showed up. Robin has more everything, because he has an actual _personality_ (because they can actually spend time with him outside of life-or-death situations). He's sneaky, has a nerdy sense of humor, is a decent tactician, is _supposed_ to be a detective, and keeps making excuses to avoid helping them check up on their sometimes-ally. If Red X radiated confidence, it was _assumed_ confidence due to their stoic/mysterious nature.

(Though Tim's idea of quitting YJ as Robin and rejoining as Red X wouldn't work anyway, because both Batman and Superman expect Robin to be a part of the team now, and they'd be suspicious/concerned if he just up and left. _And_ if Red X joined as a more permanent member right after Robin left, with no overlap, Batman would be _very_ suspicious.)

In the midst of Tim's existential identity crisis, someone suggests they go swimming because rogue attacks are at a minimum today. Robin automatically declines (he must remain in the Robin suit at all times while with YJ, it's one of Batman's stipulations), but the others don't. Which is how he finally sees Conner and Cassie's soulmarks and oh. Oooooh. That makes _so much sense_. Which, ok, he already kind of assumed they were soulmates from the way they interact, but now he knows why he has a hard time having normal relationships (both platonic and romantic) with people—he's a weirdo who falls into the small percentage of the population that have false marks (marks that look like/match existing soulmarks but act like birthmarks in that they don't have a metaphysical potential soulbond attached to them).

(He tries very hard not to be sad about this because he _likes_ Conner and Cassie—perhaps even likes them a bit more/connects to them better than the rest of the team. It would have been really cool to be soulmates with them! And. To even have a soulmate. Which he now knows he doesn't.)

There's literally no reason for him to realize that maybe his bond is reciprocal, at least not yet. For now, as the Xynothium slooooowly leaves his system, they'll start having these weird little _fzzt_ sensations along the bond. Kon and Cassie will notice it first (because they are bff and are together pretty much all the time, excluding school hours), while Tim will figure it's just him having poor circulation. Kon and Cassie think that one of them has a false mark, but they also realize that if that's true, it also means that one of them has a soulmate—so they're actively keeping an eye out for any signs that one or the other has started to soulbond. Tim's working on the assumption that _he's_ the one with the false mark, therefore there's no chance that any odd feelings can be soulbond signs.

When Kon and Cassie start feeling soul tingles, they go through everyone they've met recently, trying to figure out who it could be (Robin will be excluded, because they'll have known him for a couple months at this point).

BUT! At some point Robin will glance over at Superboy and Wonder Girl while hanging out at Mt. Justice in between missions (still slightly removed from everyone else because they're kinda freezing him out on account of how he's put his foot down on helping them with the Red X situation) and say something to Impulse or Cissie or Secret about how, "It must be nice to know your soulmate is someone super-durable when you're a hero with powerful enemies." (He's thinking about Superman, who constantly low-key stresses over the safety of his squishy human soulmates.)

Whoever he's talking to laughs and shakes their head. "SB and WG aren't soulmates. One of them has a false mark, so they're hanging out together until the actual soulmate shows up and they figure out which one it is."

 _Record scratch_ in Robin's head. "What—" he starts to ask, but he's interrupted before he can get more than the single word out.

"Actually," Wonder Girl says. "We're thinking we might be wrong about that? Conner and I have both started getting soulbond tingles, so maybe the bond was just really slow to start on account of how neither of us is entirely human?" 

Oh. Oh, yes. That would make far more sense. Certainly a lot more than Tim being soulmates with _Superboy and Wonder Girl_. Which would be. Preposterous. Yes.

Robin's mouth snaps shut and he falls back (does the thing where everything goes inside the cape except his head), while the rest of the team rushes over to congratulate their friends (not his friends, he's barely a part of this group, what with how he won't even help them with the one thing they need specifically his help to do).

Tim continues to keep himself apart from the rest of the team while he comes to terms with the fact that he is most definitely in possession of a false mark and has no soulmate(s), working hard to suppress his feelings while he's with them because that is what Bats do best (and do even better than their canon counterparts because this Bruce is _super_ repressed and paranoid). As a result Kon and Cassie are very slow to pick up anything from him through the empathic link. The occasional shock or concern during battles, but they could be feeling that themselves or getting it from each other, so they don't even think of it.

Still, Tim feels guilty about not making more of an effort to befriend everyone—heck, look at SB and WG, who became fast friends even when their inhuman biology meant that their bond took ages to manifest! They thought they were non-reciprocal and yet they still tried to get to know each other! Tim should try and do the same (even though he has no plans to ever tell them about his clearly false mark because that would be awkward and entirely unnecessary). But to do that, he must finally give in and help them find ("find") Red X. So, it is time to Plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being sneaky and making friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have decided a posting schedule! I'll be updating this every other day until it's all up, _nice_.

First, he needs to set up clues to make it look like someone completely unconnected to the Drake family stole the Xynothium from Jack Drake's office (not hard, he did most of the ground work on that ages ago, he just has to finesse it a bit to make sure it'll hold up under scrutiny). Next, he has to move all of Red X's stuff from the Bat Cave to some completely different location. The last step should be to set up red herrings as to Red X's identity (or at least implying his happy and completely normal home life, normal kid here, nothing to look at, move along). But, like. Will that be enough? The rest of the team seem pretty fixated on X, they've created this entire image of ~~him~~ them in their heads and Tim fears that they'll need to see the kid is okay with their own eyes before they drop it entirely.

What if he just… leaves a trail of evidence leading to a kid of the right body shape who's conveniently deceased? Then no one would need to worry over Red X anymore, right?

He seriously considers this for all of a week before finally discarding it as being stupid because if these kids (and adults! Helena has joined in on giving Robin Judgy Looks!) are this protective of X when they don't even have a face to go with the name, they're _definitely_ going to blame themselves if they think X is dead and they did nothing to prevent it.

He can't claim to know Red X and be protecting X's identity because there's already a tie between him and the Xynothium through his dad. If he said he knew Red X and it got back to Batman (everything _always_ gets back to Batman, somehow), Batman would definitely question whether Tim was somehow involved in acquiring the Xynothium for Red X. Or may even suspect Tim himself of being X!! Too dangerous.

So he moves the suit to a nondescript location (while in a disguise, just in case there are any cameras or witnesses to him moving it) like, idk. Maybe the basement of a public library? Slipping through an open window that only a scrawny kid with teleportation technology could reliably depend on being able to access. He packs it up all nice and tidy in a box, includes a "To whom it may concern" note (mostly detailing how he's retiring because life is hectic and he was just doing this to blow off steam but now he's in a better—if busier—place in his life yadda yadda sorry, YJ, you were great villain-punching buddies but now I gotta do my own thing. Love, X), draws a red X on the outside so it's obvious which box to look for, does sneaky shenanigans to make it all dusty like it's been there for a while, then calls it a day.

Meanwhile, at Cassie's house, she and Conner are quietly _freaking the heck out_ because their bond disappeared? Again? It just. Sputtered out and stopped?? They can't feel each other at _all_ , what the _heck_ is going on here???? Paging Superman and Wonder Woman, IS THIS NORMAL?????????

Which is when they find out that both demigods and Kryptonians have normal soulbond experiences and there is literally no reason for why it took their bond so long to wake up in the first place, nor why it's being all funky and patchy now. Diana and Clark put their heads together and decide that clearly ( _clearly_ ) the blame lies with that villain, Lex Luthor, and his nefarious science experiments that royally mucked up Kon's genes. (Shhh, canon timelines mean nothing here. All events happen at the times that will best serve the drama, rather than at canon points of time. Also, Mt. Justice is never destroyed because it's a really awesome secret hideout, YJ will stay there forever, yay.)

* * *

ANYWAY. Tim does all this set-up, then next time he's got down time while with YJ, he makes a big show of studying the x. Taking samples, analyzing, determining make-up… Oh, hey, look at this odd element that he's never seen before! Gosh, perhaps there is a way to make a fancy scanner that traces this unique and unusual element and finds other occurrences??

He feels so guilty when Superboy slings an arm around his shoulders and tells him, "See, I knew you could do it, Rob! Amazing!"

"So glad at least one problem is easy to solve," Wonder Girl agrees, which is how Robin learns about her and SB's soulbond troubles.

(The timing of it all is not a clue in the least to Tim since he was miles away, in an entirely different state when SB and WG started having problems with their soulbond! A soulbond that is all funky weird because of ~~their inhumanity~~ how Lex Luthor thinks it's fun to create people while playing Mad Scientist! Obviously nothing to do with him, who is unconnected to them both. And their soulbond. Because he just has a funky birthmark with nothing special to it.)

YJ all follow the scanner to a library basement in Blüdhaven and discover all of Red X's stuff though no X? There's also a very concerning note, but it would seem that X decided to quietly retire, which, well… it happens, as they well know. It's sad that they'll never really get to know them, but they feel better about it all now. There's closure—and they couldn't have done it without Robin! Finally coming through for the team, aw yeah.

Because the note also includes a "hey, YJ, if you should happen to find this all of this, please put it somewhere safe that no one could possibly find and abuse it ~~misleading Beast Boy into thinking my identity is that of dead minor celebrity Jason Todd~~ " note, the gang packs up the box and takes it back to Mt. Justice to store in a secure place.

Helena inspects the box and its contents when they arrive back at HQ on the off-chance there's a clue someone missed because what if there is a child out there in need of her moming skills?

I guess?? Helena has a soulmate?? (That Cassie is a little shocked to hear about because she did not know that about her mom wtf.) And she stomps into the main room of Mt. Justice the next morning and calls a team meeting because she wants to take a poll of anyone else who may be experiencing soulbond interruption and compare it to whoever interacted with Red X's gear. Because the only other possibilities she can think of are a) that Cassie and Kon's bond disruption is contagious, or b) that there's some disease going around that's affecting bonds, which is highly unlikely (especially since this isn't the first time Cassie and Kon have experienced an irregularity in their bond).

"But why are _we_ having problems?" Cassie wants to know, pointing to Kon and herself. "It's unrelated, right? Because our bond zonked out before we even found the box with Red X's stuff."

Helena gets a gleam in her eye—the kind of gleam a detective gets when they've cracked a mystery, or an archeologist when they're about to make a find that proves all their theories. "Soulbonds are connections between people. If your soulmate was exposed to the Xynothium _before_ you were, you would start experiencing it at the same time that they did."

"But I didn't go anywhere near Blüdhaven!" Superboy cries, because what? No, he wouldn't do anything to hurt his still wobbly-new bond with Cassie!

Meanwhile, Cassie knows that gleam, knows what her mom is getting at. "No. But someone else might have. Think about when our bond finally manifested. It was _after_ Red X stopped showing up at battles— _after_ they'd retired from vigilantism and packed away their suit and equipment."

"But we were barely around them during battles—how would that be enough exposure to do anything? And Robin—he's been studying that x for ages now, trying to figure out how to analyze and track it, but he hasn't had any troubles with his bond! I mean, you haven't, right?" Superboy asks, twisting to fix Robin with a pleading look.

"Uh. My bond hasn't acted any different than usual?" Tim tentatively says, but his stomach is twisting weirdly as he does. Xynothium distrupting soulbonds? Could that be a real thing? He's been handling it, messing with it for _ages_ —since before he was even Robin! He only stopped when Batman said he could join Young Justice and he didn't need the Red X identity anymore. And anyway, there's no way he could have accidentally messed up Wonder Girl and Superboy's bond, right? Because that would mean there'd actually have to be an actually _something_ to his mark. But he didn't bond to them, even after he detoxed! They bonded to each other, but he didn't, so his mark is still a false one and, and—!

Cassie nods firmly. "Yes, but some soulbonds include more than just two people. If we share a soulbond with Red X, their exposure to the Xynothium would have been enough to disrupt you and me bonding. Maybe Luthor isn't actually to blame for once."

(Please realize that Helena is plotting in the background because now she has a _reason_ to track down X and mom them and she is _living_.)

"That, uh. That seems like a pretty big leap," Robin says. "You don't even know that the Xynothium is what's causing this bond interruption. It could be any number of other things—it might be something entirely unrelated to anything we've done, even!"

"Just. You shouldn't assume there's any kind of link between the two," Robin mutters when everyone turns to stare at him—that may be the most Robin has said since joining YJ! He always keeps a little apart, a little aloof. "It would be better to conduct experiments in a controlled lab environment before we go making any assumptions about anything—or any _one_."

Also, it might be time to go back and dig through his dad's old notebooks and journals and such, try to see if there was anything in the ruins/culture where he found the container of Xynothium about it interrupting soulbonds. Not that his is interrupted, of course—he just doesn't have one. Obviously. So whatever is going on with Wonder Girl and Superboy is something entirely unrelated. It must be. Yes.

(Is Tim internally panicking because he figured Red X's stuff could just be put into storage and forgotten about and no one would ever think to look into it or figure out where the parts came from and oh no what if they actually start looking because the Xynothium links directly back to Jack Drake and he might have acquired some of the belt technology from the Bat Cave on the sly and oh no oh shit he did not think this through what if he didn't put down enough red herrings what if he didn't mess up the trail well enough what if they figure it out and Batman finds out—or, even worse, what if _Wonder Girl and Superboy_ find out that he has a false mark that matches theirs and they keep insisting that he's their soulmate when he's really, really not??)

Externally, Robin shifts slightly. "If you'd like, I can try taking a sample back to Gotham with me. Batman has newer equipment than what's here, and I could—"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Helena insists. "You can't expose yourself even further—think of your poor soulmate, after all. They must already be so confused by your bond failing, letting it go on even longer could wreak havoc on your relationship, especially since you won't exactly be able to explain the reason for the interference."

"But that's not—"

"No, I think it's time to contact some experts. You kids all go home and make sure to reassure your respective soulmates, I've got some calls to make."

Tim is so overwhelmed by this level of competent parenting that he does as he's told?? It is just. Wonder Girl's mom is a _lot_ to deal with. Also: Terrifying. So time to go back home and wait for some representative from the Justice League to contact his dad about his stash of Xynothium showing up in a library basement in Blüdhaven, he guesses?? This is all spiraling out of control and he doesn't even know what's happening anymore.

Tim returns home and tentatively ask his dad, "Hey. You know that container of weird rocks you found oh, two, three years ago? Do you remember what happened to it?"

Jack does not remember this container! Perhaps it is in his study somewhere? Maybe he put it aside to look at later and forgot about it? Hmmm. "Not really. It important?"

"No, just happened to think of it, that's all."

[OH SNAP. What if the reason Jack and Janet were having marital problems in this universe was that the presence of the Xynothium in Jack's office/the Drake home was causing interference to their soulbond, only they didn't realize that was what was going on and each thought the problem was the other one didn't care as much anymore and—!

Things briefly got better when they went on trips because they were removed from the Xynothium, but every time they came back it just started all over again. Meanwhile, it wasn't an issue when the Red X stuff was stored in the cave because the surrounding rock was thick enough that it shielded the occupants of the manor from the element.]

Tim goes to his room to stress and tell himself how stupid it was to ask his dad about the Xynothium because what if the JL shows up to ask him about it and he says, 'Oh, how strange, my son was just asking about that, ha ha,' and then everyone will know that Tim knows _exactly_ where the Xynothium came from and that he's had access for years and—

No, no. This is good. It's fine. He can just... say he recognized the box in Red X's things as something he'd seen in his dad's office. It made sense to try and gather information on it when he realized he had an in on the case. Yes, this will totally work. Batman, the Justice League, and his dad won't suspect a thing, he won't get in trouble, and he'll get to keep working with Young Justice.

And! He can say he didn't even realize the unknown element was Xynothium until they found Red X's stuff and he recognized the box! Yes, it's all coming together. He can rest easy and not worry about anything, it's all taken care of.

I feel like I should preface the next bit by explaining: The Justice League (which does not yet include Batman since they only just recently learned of his actual-fact existence) is a bit more aware/involved with the running of Young Justice here because Nightwing isn't there to tell them off. Sure, Helena does a lot to help maintain YJ's autonomy, but it's with the understanding that they are operating with strict adult supervision and not the kind that can easily be circumvented by taking advantage of the adult supervisor's robot status.

All the same, YJ has worked very hard to hide the whole Red X thing from the JL and everyone. Helena and Red Tornado know, but they have been very good about respecting the kids' decision on this and not even mentioning Red X's existence to the JL. That plus Red X's teleportation technology means that there isn't any footage of Red X and the only proof of their existence are YJ's own memories and the box of equipment. Add to that a Batman that is much more insular/Gotham-focused, and there's no reason for him to even suspect the existence of a teen hero with advanced technology and apparently?? operating out of Blüdhaven.

Tim has a quandary because, even just setting aside the fact that he was Red X, he has info about Xynothium that pretty much no one else has, simply by virtue of being Jack Drake's son. But he can't _mention_ that to the rest of the team without revealing his secret identity. _And_ if he casually mentions that he grew up in a house with a bunch of Xynothium, someone might assume he has some sort of problem with his soulbond (which he obviously _doesn't_ ) and start asking about his mark, and. If the team found out what his mark is, it would be. So embarrassing.

All of this is just resulting in a very complicated situation for Tim. He just wanted to hang out with other teen heroes because he was lonely! It's not his fault Batman was all paranoid and weird about things—heck, he wouldn't've even been lonely if he'd at least been allowed to hang out with Bruce and Dick outside of vigilante stuff. But noooo, it had to be secrecy and caution above everything else. And then Batman revealed himself right away as soon as he knew one of his soulmates was Superman! (It is possible Tim received a _very_ edited version of how the BruceClarkLois identity reveals played out; a version that cast Batman in the very best light because certain idiots are incapable of admitting they screwed up.)

Life sucks sometimes when you're a super-secretive superhero.

* * *

Helena may not know anything about rare Earth elements, but she _can_ recognize a historical artifact when she sees one. So she takes lots of photographs of the Xynothium container in Red X's box and goes on a research binge to figure out the culture/location of origin and try and figure out how some random kid got their hands on something like this.

Which isn't that hard to do when you're the curator of a prestigious museum. She makes some calls, follows up some leads, and before the week's out, Helena Sandsmark is visiting Gotham City with her daughter (and daughter's soulmate). Tim comes home from school and his dad is there even though he's rarely home so early. Jack and Dana are entertaining a guest? Or, wait—guest _ **s**_??

"And here's my son, Tim," Jack says, turning and smiling at him. "Tim, this is Ms. Sandsmark, here from the Gateway City Museum of Antiquities in California to talk to me about some of my work. Maybe you could maybe take her kids out to see some of Gotham's sights so the adults can get down to business?"

"Er, I'm not actually—"

"Y-yeah, sure," Tim says, interrupting Conner. "Lemme just put down my backpack."

He is _not_ going to freak out that Wonder Girl and Superboy are in his house. Because this is. Totally normal. But it would be weird if he didn't tell them he already knows them, right? Or maybe they'd understand? They wear disguises too, after all. Though not around the mountain, and Cassie's stopped wearing hers, and Conner's is just wearing glasses and flannel when he's not Superboy and—

"C'mon. I'll show you some of the best places to see Batman and Robin," he says, grabbing his jacket, wallet, and keys.

Behind him, his dad speaks. "That's Tim—Batman and Robin are our local urban legends vigilantes, but he's just _sure_ they're real."

Tim hunches his shoulders and lets the door swing closed behind them, cutting off his dad's laughter.

"Hi, I'm Cassie, and this is my boyfriend, Conner. For what it's worth, Batman and Robin sound neat. It's not cool that your dad laughed at something you're obviously interested in."

This is. So hard! He really wants to tell them, but Batman would be _so mad_. But it's _his_ secret identity, so shouldn't he be the one to get to decide who he tells it to? Before he can argue with himself any more, he blurts out, "I know you're Wonder Girl."

"Wh—"

"Which really isn't that hard to figure out, because you don't even wear the wig or goggles anymore. And he's Superboy, which is _really_ easy, because glasses and plaid aren't the greatest disguise—maybe you should try changing your hair? Just a thought."

"That's… Those are some pretty wild accusations. Us? Superheroes?" Conner laughs uneasily.

"I'm really good at noticing stuff. That's how I realized that Batman and Robin were real—I noticed the shadows moving strangely one night so I watched and followed and—" And he saw Robin do a quadruple flip that only one person in the world could pull off, but they don't need to know that now. "And, uh. Yeah. Your mom's asking my dad about the artifact full of Xynothium he found ages ago, because it turned up in Red X's stuff."

" _What?!_ " Conner says, falling back into a fighting stance, his eyes going hard. "What the hell, kid?"

"Wait, wait—are you—X—?" Cassie gasps.

Tim shakes his head—because he's _not_ , not anymore, at least. "No, I'm." He lifts his hands to his face, puts his fingers over his eyes, parting them just enough so he can peek out. "I'm Robin. Hi?"

"Wait, _what?_ How—?!"

"Oh, y'know, the normal way. I stalked Batman until he caught me and he said I had to be so that he could maintain his super creepy cryptid status. No big deal." Tim shrugs. "That artifact was in my dad's office for years, so I recognized it as soon as I saw it in Red X's stuff. I guess it got stolen a while ago and no one noticed? My parents used to travel a lot, so there were long stretches where no one was in the house. Or maybe it happened while I was in foster care…" He makes a big show of trying to remember, though of course he knows _exactly_ when it went missing from his dad's home office.

Meanwhile, Conner and Cassie are kind of freaking out because they just accidentally stumbled onto Robin?? "You, uh. You were in foster care?"

"Yeah, when my dad was in a coma."

" _What—?_ Um. I mean. What about your mom?"

"She was dead? Is still dead."

"But…?" They glance back at the closed door up the walk.

"That's Dana, my stepmom. She's pretty cool, except how she got possessed by ancient evil at the wedding. She's all better now, though."

"Okay, seriously? What the _fuck_ , Rob—"

"You should really call me Tim when we're not, y'know."

"What the fuck, Tim?! You don't even have any _powers_ , why the hell are you having stuff like this happen to you?!!"

"Well. This _is_ Gotham."

So they wander around Gotham and admire all the cool Batman-watching spots and probably at one point Tim just stares intensely at the shadows and says, " _You've_ got no room to ~~talk~~ glare. You totally bug your friends when they're in town."

The shadows shift slightly and somehow radiate an air of… chagrin?

"Is that… Batman?"

"Ignore him. He generally stops glaring and leaves you alone if you're firm with him."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes? You can ask people for help??

Tim continues to not speak lies. Just… phrases things in such a way as to encourage certain specific interpretations of what he says. Though he does still lie to Batman. But only blatant lies.

Batman: Did you take the last hot pocket?

Tim, looking him dead in the eye as he bites down into tongue-burning deliciousness: No.

Etc.

This means Tim can tell him things directly and he'll assume he's lying. The longest reverse psychology game ever.

He mostly starts it just to mess with Batman (one of the few things Nightwing recommended he do in order to deal with Batman being a grumpy butt). But this also means that when Batman sits him down and asks, "Were you Red X?" Tim can answer truthfully and know that Batman won't believe him.

Batman: Were you Red X?

Tim: Yup!

Batman: Hrm. I wonder who it could have been…

* * *

The trail goes cold when it comes to tracking down who could have stolen the Xynothium! Through Helena's questioning of Jack and Tim's volunteering of information to Conner and Cassie, YJ decides that the last time anyone had known eyes on the container/Xynothium was around the time of Janet Drake's death, since Tim went into foster care until his father came out of a coma, leaving the Drake residence empty and unattended for some six months or so. (Everyone is careful to maintain Tim's secret identity to the point that not even Helena is informed.) Gotham being the kind of city that it is, anyone could have gotten in and stolen it—not even necessarily X himself, who may have come across it later, after it already left Jack Drake's possession.

Sad and upsetting, though the kids insist on leaving a note warning of the suspected effects of Xynothium in the basement where they found the box, just in case X comes back sometime. (Tim making use of all his acting skills not to blush like crazy over how protective and concerned these guys are of a kid they barely even know?? Wow, how did he get so lucky as to have friends like this.)

Additionally, because of the length of time during which the Xynothium is unaccounted for (the span between Janet's death and Red X's first team-up with Young Justice), and the fact that they don't know if Red X ended up with all of the Xynothium in the container or just some of it, Wonder Girl and Superboy must concede that they cannot say for certain that Red X is a missing part of their soulbond/the reason their bond didn't act properly for such a long time. :\

Still, Xynothium's effect on soulbonds is something that definitely deserves further research, and after some discussion, YJ gives a small amount to S.T.A.R. Labs to study. They additionally stipulate that the scientists should share any findings with YJ, since it could be that the team and one or more of their allies (they're a bit cagey with the scientists on this point) may have been adversely affected over a long period of time.

For now, it seems like that's that, there's nothing more to be done on the matter. Except, of course, for certain repercussions.

Now that Wonder Girl knows he spent a good chunk of his adolescent/preteen years living in close proximity to a large amount of Xynothium, she keeps bugging him about whether he and his dad have been to see a counselor specializing in soulbond complications. What if all that exposure has long-lasting side effects on his ability to properly bond with his soulmate(s)?! She's definitely concerned when he quietly admits that his parents (a soulbonded pair) were having relationship problems before his mother's death. This could be a serious problem, Ti—er, Robin! Studies have proven that soulbond disruption may lead to mental health troubles as much as a decade later!

"How do you even know about all this?" he demands, waving away the stack of articles, books, and scientific journals on the topic.

"I did a bunch of research when we thought there might be a problem with my and Superboy's bond because neither of us is fully human. Impulse helped find relevant material—he's better than a search engine with this kind of thing, sometimes."

He politely thanks her and runs off to hide in his room at Mt. Justice and not at all freak out. What if?? She's right? And he's soulmates with her and Superboy? Because that would be… pretty unlikely? Right? Right?? They're… very nice, and he likes them as tentative, new friends, but he's not sure if he's ready to be _soulmates_ together. And they're already pretty comfortable with each other—do they really even _need_ ~~want~~ a third person in that bond?

Too bad he doesn't know any soulmate triad that existed as a pair for some time before the third member joined. OH WAIT.

* * *

So Tim thinks for a bit and returns to Gotham at the end of the weekend. And thinks some more. Finally, he stashes a domino in his bag and takes a little trip across the bay after school one day.

Batman would be very proud of him for sneaking up so cleverly on Superman, but hopefully Batman will not find out about this little visit any time soon. Though Robin is careful to take a picture of the surprised/shocked look on Superman's face to share when that time comes (and maybe with Superboy at some point; their friendship is still pretty new, but he thinks the Kid would appreciate it).

"Hi," Robin says, pressing on his domino and swinging down to hang upside-down outside the window of Superman's apartment. "Can we talk?"

"Holy beejeezus!" Superman very much does not say because he is a respectable professional (he totally says it and jumps back about a foot, leaving faint stress cracks in the floor when he lands).

Look. He (kinda sorta not at all) knew what he was getting into, being soulmates with Bruce Wayne (honestly, up until this moment he thought Lois was the one who was going to give him a heart attack in this relationship).

Realize that the superhero community literally did not know of the Bats' existence until a few months ago. Clark _suspected_ Batman might be real before that, but only because Metropolis is relatively close to Gotham and he'd heard/collected some of the rumors on the off-chance that it might result in a story, some day. He's only known that Bruce is soulmates with him and Lois (heck, that they even _have_ a third soulmate) for four months now. It's all very new and weird!

"Uh, sure." Clark politely opens the window and lets this small masked child into his home. "Robin, right? How are you liking Young Justice? I know Superboy has a pretty good time hanging out with them." He's not entirely sure how to treat this kid? It's like… he's dating Robin's mentor, but he continues to have no idea what Robin's civilian identity is (and apparently there have been two previous ones?? He and Lois are still working on convincing Bruce that he should let them meet Dick Grayson, and he's openly connected to Bruce's civilian ID!).

"It's alright. We're doing some interesting stuff, and it's nice to work with people who laugh instead of frown harder when you make a joke." Robin stares intently. "Are you happy with Batman? Do you and Ms. Lane find his addition to your relationship emotionally satisfying?"

"Emotionally…? Wait, is this a shovel talk?"

Robin looks decidedly shifty. "I don't know. Should it be?"

Clark settles back against the wall. He definitely does not feel scared or threatened by an unpowered teen. That would be ridiculous. "Lois and I already got one of those from Alfred."

"Well, _yeah_. It's Alfred." Robin waves it away. "I just want to know if you feel like it's a good thing, having Batman in your soulbond. He's kind of… difficult to get along with. Prickly. Obsessive. Not very good at getting out of his own head."

"It's still early days, yet, so I can't say anything for sure. He's certainly all the things that you describe, but that doesn't make him any less deserving of being loved," Clark counters. "Sometimes it takes a while to figure out how a person will fit into a relationship, particularly one that's already pretty well established, like mine and Lois's. Right now, I think the most important thing we can show him is that it's alright to ask for help, to lean on others sometimes. We're going to have a lot of work ahead of us, helping him to find a more complete version of himself."

"So he's less an equal participant in your relationship and more a project to work on."

"Oh, well, now. I wouldn't go so far as to say that," Clark quickly backtracks. "Lois and I care about him, but we're still getting to know him. Soulmarks help you to identify those you'll be most compatible with, and soulbonds help hurry along a feeling of closeness that might otherwise take years to form. But that's all they are—shortcuts in the relationship process, and all relationships take work, whether there's a soul connection involved or not." He smiles a little sadly, shaking his head. "Sometimes I think things might actually go better if there weren't soulmates. Sure, it would be a lot harder to figure out the best person or people for you, but it would mean that you'd have to try that much harder to get to know a person instead of just depending on a soulbond to give you a quick route to closeness."

Robin slowly nods. "You're saying a relationship built on a soulbond isn't enough. You also need to make a real effort to know the other person."

"Right! I actually really envy Superboy and Wonder Girl. I'm sure they've told you about their own soulbond troubles, but I think it was actually to their benefit, since it allowed them to form a closer relationship in the long run."

"Yeah. We, uh. Had a problem recently where everyone at Mt. Justice had their bonds interrupted, but they didn't seem _super_ concerned? While Wonder Girl's mom was a lot more worried, since she wasn't used to not feeling her soulmate."

"Right! We're really not at a point where we can say it's 'emotionally satisfying' to be in a relationship with Bruce yet, but a lot of that's because we're still getting to know him. All the same, I can tell you Lois and I already like him well enough that we'd rather spend the effort than give up completely."

"That's… fair. And makes a lot of sense."

Well, that's a relief. Alfred's shovel talk was terrifying enough, he wasn't looking forward to Robin's. Though, actually—considering what the kid said, he's not entirely sure that's even what this is. "So, what brought all this on? And why ask me about it instead of Bruce?"

Robin fixes him with _look_ so intense that Clark doesn't even X-ray vision to see through the mask and get the exact meaning of it. "You're asking me why I didn't ask Batman about feelings."

"Right, don't know what I was thinking."

"Setting aside the fact that he's really not good with them in general, and the fact that that's just not the kind of relationship he and I have, _you're_ the one whose opinion I wanted to get on the topic. Well, yours or Ms. Lane's, and to be completely honest, you're a lot more approachable."

Clark winces. He loves Lois, but she can be downright terrifying sometimes. A lot of the time. Probably quite soon and to him, in fact, since he's supposed to be meeting her and Bruce for dinner in ten minutes and he still hasn't dressed. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Well." Robin unfolds from where he's been crouched in the window, then unbuckles his belt.

"Woah, hey. Hold up there." Clark nearly rushes across the room to put a hand on his arm to stop him, then thinks better of it and stays where he is, maintaining his distance.

This time, Robin definitely rolls his eyes behind his mask. "Relax," he says. Then he tugs down his jeans just far enough to reveal a mark on his hip, about an inch below his waistline.

A very, very familiar mark. One that is an exact match to the one Clark sees on Conner's wrist every time he stops by the farm. "Oh."

"Yeah," Robin says, tugging his jeans back into place and rebuckling his belt. "I just. I'm not sure what to tell them. Or even if I should."

"I take it yours is a false one?" Because that's the only possible explanation for why Conner and Cassie haven't realized Robin shares a mark with them when they've been in close proximity to him for nearly three months now. Heck, he and Lois knew within five minutes of meeting Bruce for the first time—once a bond takes, it's near impossible to hide.

Robin nods once, short and sharp. "I don't know if I should tell them."

"For what it's worth, I doubt they'd be upset if you did." He's gentle when he says it, knows he'll probably be gentle with this kid all the time going forward. To be so young and already know you'll never have the comfort of a soulbond—it must be awful. "Conner and Cassie have been close since nearly the moment they met, and they thought one of them had a false mark for most of that time. They'll understand."

"I suppose." Robin turns, grabbing the window and pushing it open once more. "Thank you. You've given me a lot to think about."

"Wait," Clark says. "How'd you get here? Train? Cab? I'm guessing you didn't take one of Batman's toys, since you're not wearing your costume."

Robin goes still, his expression carefully neutral. "Why."

"Just, I'm heading to Gotham in a few minutes anyway. I have to take Lois, but I've got two arms. You're welcome to a lift, if you want it." He grins, more than a little conspiratorial. "We're practically family, after all."

It takes half a beat, but Robin moves away from the window and slowly nods. "Sure, why not. I've never flown by Kryptonian before."

* * *

Superman flying to Gotham ("Clark, you can't wear your costume to this party, and you better not have a suit or tux crammed in that backpack. At least give it to me or the kid to carry so it doesn't wrinkle."), Lois in one arm, Robin in the other, one or the other of them clutching a garment bag.

"If it makes you feel better, Batman won't even notice if your clothes are wrinkled," Robin assures them. "Heck, he'll probably ditch halfway through because a rogue crashes the gala, or kidnaps the commissioner, or something. That's what usually happens."

"Oh, he will, will he?" There is a dangerous light in Lois's eye. She is wearing a very nice gown for this and her hair is becoming artfully windswept by the ride across the bay ("It's better than a hairdryer"). "If I don't let Muscles here run off during dates for anything short of an apocalypse, I'm not about to let Batman."

"It's true, she doesn't," Clark confides. "At least, not unless I take her along."

"Which has saved your cute butt more than once, so don't even try to pretend you aren't okay with it."

Robin wisely keeps his mouth shut and does not try to weigh in on that conversation.

* * *

Tim shortly learns that letting Superman in on the whole mark thing was a huge mistake because after this, the guy is constantly finding excuses to stop by Mt. Justice on weekends? He doesn't say anything, just watches and grins and suggests increasingly ridiculous team-building activities until, thankfully, he gets called away by a rogue or natural disaster. (Tim does feel more than a little guilty being thankful for things like that, but he's a teenager—public humiliation is just a step or two down from the end of the world in his book.)

Thank goodness he's at least convinced the man to let him tell Wonder Girl and Superboy on his own time, otherwise this whole thing would be the worst experience in his entire _life_. Still, he isn't exactly in a rush to tell them—not that he doesn't trust Superman's judgement on how they'll react (though, to be honest, he doesn't, at least not completely). He just… wants to make sure he's completely prepared for any possible outcome first. Yes. Especially since, like an idiot, he revealed his civilian identity to them so if the reveal goes badly he can't exactly quit the team and just avoid them for the rest of forever. Ugh, why did past!him make such poor decisions?

Meanwhile, as Tim is going out of his way to just completely avoid two of his teammates, the rest of YJ is understandably confused by the sudden interest Superman is showing in them. They're desperately hoping Helena will run him off soon, because he's _nice_ and all, but it's really hard to be a quasi-responsible teen when Superman is right there, no doubt constantly silently judging you.

In better news, Helena's suspicions regarding the Xynothium prove pretty much exactly true and any disrupted soulbonds go back to normal after a week or two, which is in line with what the scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs have found through their studies so far. Helena is of course a responsible colleague and writes to Jack Drake to let him know he and his son may have experienced negative side effects as a result of long-term Xynothium exposure. Nothing probably would have come from that had Dana not seen the letter and insisted that the entire family attend counseling just to be on the safe side. Tim isn't sure how he feels about this, but he has to admit it's always enjoyable to watch Dana chide and bully his father into behaving like a responsible adult.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ready for some lightning-round sickfic hurt/comfort?

Of course, family counseling also means he has less time for Robin things, Young Justice included. At least he can explain his absences to Wonder Girl and Superboy and they are super understanding, promising to cover for him with the rest of the team and Helena if anyone starts making noise about him being gone.

Weirdly, Superman stops showing up around this time also? They'd suspect that maybe, for some strange reason, Superman was coming to keep an eye on Robin, except that Kon assures the rest of the team that he knows what's going on there, and that the Man of Steel is busy with "personal stuff." This works within everyone except Cassie, who sees right through his air of breezy nonchalance because it is danged hard to hide your emotions from someone who literally knows how you're feeling through a mystical soulbond.

"It's really nothing," he tries to tell her, but she isn't buying it. "Okay, so. So Superman is kinda stressed out because he's, uh, really close to Batman, right? And there's some stuff going down in Gotham right now and I tried to call Rob at home earlier, but I couldn't get through."

"Maybe someone else was on the line?"

"Maybe. Only Superman says the government is seriously freaked out by whatever's happening over there and that they're locking down all news and communication, so probably it's more like the Feds deliberately killed the call." Kon's been getting increasingly more and more distressed during this whole explanation, wringing his hands and looking completely unlike the cool, fun-loving dork she's used to.

Cassie bites her lip, clearly sharing in his concern. "It's probably fine—right? Robin's really smart, he wouldn't take stupid risks. Though it _is_ really worrying that the government is this keen on keeping everything quiet."

It's a good thing adult heroes like Batman and Superman are already on the problem. They have enough problems with the Feds, dealing with the DEO (or not, as is much more often the case—they've discovered that the best way to handle the DEO is point Helena at them because mad scientists and the government officials that back them are pretty scary but they've got _nothing_ on an angry mom).

(I have vague ideas of Helena's soulmate being Diana [not that Cassie is aware of this because her mom and mentor are very discreet and private people when it comes to their love life] and there being funky reincarnation shenanigans afoot and Diana _still_ being mad at Zeus about seducing her soulmate before she managed to track her down. So there's probably a pretty good reason why people fall in line when Helena starts in on them, since this is a woman who's got a certain _je ne sais quoi_ that keeps attracting the attention of gods and goddesses [depending on what canon you're working with at any point in time].)

* * *

A week passes, and surely things will be back to normal… but Kon keeps trying to contact ~~Robin~~ Tim and not being able to get through. Or, at least, he means to keep trying, but as the week progresses he starts to feel more and more under the weather. His human parts must have picked up some bug while he was last at Mt. Justice, since during his daily call with Cassie, she admits that she's not feeling too hot either.

By the time the weekend rolls around, they're both sick as dogs. Ma and Pa Kent are worried enough about any Earth bug nasty enough to go toe-to-toe with (half-)Kryptonian biology that they call Clark and insist on having him come out. Kon is _so_ embarrassed, because it's just the flu, right? There's no need to bother Clark over something so trivial.

Weirdly, the first thing Clark asks as soon as he sees Kon is, "You haven't been to Gotham, have you?" His face is pale and serious and he keeps shooting worried looks at Ma and Pa.

"What? No."

"If you snuck in to try and visit Robin, I really need to know, Kon-El."

Oh geez. He's bringing out the full Kryptonian name. He must be super serious about it. "No, I haven't been near Gotham since—since two months ago when Cassie's mom let me and her tag along when she had to go for a work thing." Kon doesn't cross his fingers under the covers, but only because sometimes Clark has been known to cheat and use X-ray vision when there is absolutely no call for it.

"Two months back should have been fine… Have you seen Robin since then?"

"Only a few times, and you were around too. He's been too busy for Young Justice lately. Anyway, I don't know why you're asking all these questions about Rob and Gotham—this is just some weird flu I picked up in Happy Harbor last weekend."

"What makes you say that?"

Kon shrugs and explains. "Cassie caught it too."

Weirdly, Clark perks up at this. "Is it just you two? Or have any of the other kids caught it?"

"Just us," Kon confirms. "Cassie's mom and Cissie are fine, and so are Bart and Anita." Greta, of course, is exempt from all illnesses due to the fact that she's got no physical body to contract disease. Also, it's hard to get any worse than dead.

Clark relaxes, then turns to Ma and Pa. "Right. I think I know what this is, but I have to check some things first to be sure. If I'm right, you'll both be fine—he shouldn't be the least bit contagious."

"That's lovely for us, but what about Conner? The poor boy's in the worst sort of shape and he hasn't said, but he'd awfully worried about his friends, particularly that boy in Gotham," Ma fusses.

"Tell you what, I'll check on him while I'm at it. That sound good to you, kid?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that'd be. That'd be really great, thanks." Kon lets out a breath and it's as if his entire body relaxes, like he's letting go of some worry he didn't even realize was bothering him. Like he can finally let himself relax and maybe start to get better.

He's asleep before Clark's even left the house.

* * *

Now Clark would _like_ to give Robin the benefit of the doubt and he really did believe the kid when he insisted his mark was a false one… but Robin's also spent a lot of time around Bruce, who is only just now under Clark and Lois's careful care learning to allow himself to be happy. And there's the whole strange thing with Conner and Cassie's soulbond. And that weird element one of the scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs told him about last month during an interview.

To say nothing of the fact that, by virtue of being Superman and having a close connection to Batman (to say nothing of superhearing), Clark has a much better idea than the rest of the country about what the hell is going on in Gotham at the moment. Or, to be more exact, that something _is_ going on in Gotham right now, since both the governor and the Feds have been careful to keep it all under wraps so no one panics and sets off mass hysteria.

Bruce _said_ he had it under control, but Bruce says a lot of things, and he's not always telling the truth when he says them.

Clark touches down near one of the secret entrances to the Bat Cave and leisurely strolls inside (one of the advantages to being soulmates with Batman is that you get added to all his security since it's not like he can claim you're not trustworthy when he can literally feel what you feel). He's very much unsurprised by what he sees there.

"Ah, Mr. Kent. I'm sorry but we really aren't in the position to handle guests at the moment," Alfred says, rising from the chair he's been sitting in. It's sitting next to a hospital bed, and Clark grimaces when he sees who the occupant is, even though he expected this.

"Sorry. I know Bruce doesn't want me or Lois around right now, but I promised I'd check in, and it's not like I can catch this disease anyway."

Alfred sighs and sags back into his chair. He looks more tired than Clark's ever seen him, and no wonder. He and the family he looks after are used to enemies they can fight. No punch is strong enough to bring down a virus.

He grabs a chair and flies it over so he can sit beside the old man. "I would have been by sooner, but Bruce insisted that he had everything under control, and Lois and I figured as long as he stayed healthy, it was best to let him do his own thing." Part of their tentative agreement to maintain boundaries and allow Bruce (and Batman) the autonomy he's used to and feels most comfortable with.

"There are times when I believe Master Bruce is simply incapable of being ill for any length of time—his willpower is such that it would not surprise me in the least if he simply refused to allow himself to be ill." Alfred rises slightly, reaching out to change the cloth on the forehead of the bed's occupant for a fresh one. "Alas, the same cannot be said for those that follow him."

Clark nods, face somber as he watches Robin shake and shiver, no doubt troubled by all kinds of horrible fever dreams, if the horrible look on his face is anything to go by. "What's his prognosis?"

In response, Alfred simply shakes his head. "Master Bruce and Master Dick have been beside themselves to race against the clock on this one, but there have many dead ends and false leads. It is… not good." Alfred brushes a gloved hand over the boy's and sighs. "He keeps calling for his parents, and rightly we should take him home. But they remain healthy, and it is better not to risk infecting them as well."

They sit in silence like that for a long while, waiting for news from the city, hoping for some sort of cure. Clark knows he should report back to Conner, but he's loathe to bring such gloomy news, and he's hoping that if he waits long enough, there might be some change for the better before he has to leave.

Narrative being what it is, Batman returns with a cure (one that works this time, unlike the last couple times he's tried) right when Superman is about to leave! He rushes over to the bed, apparently oblivious to Clark's presence as he consults the beeping machines hooked up to Robin, then shoves a cooler case at Alfred, hovering anxiously.

And, amazingly enough, it _is_ anxiously—Clark can feel the fear, the desperation through their soulbond. It's just about the strongest thing he's ever received from Bruce in the months since their meeting and the forging of their bond. Which is a definite relief. The way he's always so stoic in the cowl, Clark was concerned that he didn't really see Robin as the all-to-human squishy child that he is.

Though it is highly inappropriate considering the circumstances, Clark falls a little bit more in love with Bruce as he watches him fret over his protégé as Alfred deftly administers the cure to the saline drip connected to Robin.

Clark will wait long enough to make sure Robin's on the mend, and then leave to report back to Kon as promised. But not before pressing a gentle kiss to Bruce's cheek. "You did it." Stretching out his hearing to the city across water, he smiles. "Other people have things in hand, now. You're good to go back to your shadows—and maybe get some rest?"

Bruce makes a faint grunting noise, apparently completely focused on Robin. But there's the brief graze of gauntleted fingertips across the back of Clark's hand as he passes, and that's more than he really expected. Baby steps.

It's late, but Clark still swings by Smallville to check on Conner. The boy is already looking much better, no longer feverish and awful, and he doesn't doubt that Cassie is much the same, over in Gateway City. Clark's more than a little smug on his way back to Metropolis. He _knew_ he was right to insist on all those team-building activities.

* * *

Superman shows up at Mt. Justice with popcorn the first time Robin comes back after he's recovered from the Clench. Makes everyone do trust falls and then insisting that Impulse has to team up with Secret since he can move fast enough to 'catch' her ethereal form and then Robin has to team up with Wonder Girl and Superboy (Empress had to stay home and study for a test, alas).

"This is silly. I can work with Cissie," Robin says.

"Cissie won't be working with you in the field." Superman has spoken! These are the partners for this exercise!

He zips to the sidelines to eagerly watch. Helena gives him a suspicious look. "You're planning something."

"Maybe. :D"

"Do I get to know what it is?"

"Just wait and see." He offers her some popcorn.

Cassie and Kon briefly squabble about who gets to catch Tim because look! He is clearly still recovering from whatever kept him stuck in Gotham for so long! (Kon has a better idea, because Clark accidentally let slip about the fact that the city was quarantined, though he still doesn't know all the details.) Cassie wins with a strong "ladies first" argument, plus she's annoyed that Kon didn't let her know immediately when Superman told him that Robin was okay!

Meanwhile, Tim is kinda confused? He's not in top form yet, being at about 85%, and he knows Superman has instructions to not let him engage in super strenuous activity (i.e., he's not allowed to go into the field and do actual combat) or else Batman will be making garters out of kryptonian guts. (It is so weird for Batman to be expressing such obvious concern/gruff affection? Nice, but also very weird. Maybe Batman's going soft??) "I can catch one of you instead if it's such an issue?"

"Don't be silly. We've both got super strength and you've got noodle arms after being stuck in Gotham for weeks. Plus, I think Conner's weighs twice as much as you."

"My arms aren't noodles! And I lift heavy stuff all the time." This is so not fair.

"Shh, just relax, fall back, and trust in Cassie," Kon advises.

(They do not want to be touched by his noodly appendages. :( )

Tim is not at all secretly chuffed to be caught by his very buff and attractive teammates because he is a _professional_ , thank you very much.

There is much falling and catching, though Kon insists on dramatically swooning whenever Cassie is catching him. It's ridiculous and hilarious and Tim finds himself laughing hard enough he ends up doubling over. (The other two fuss over him until they determine he's not in any kind of pain, and then discretely high-five. Operation: Cheer Up Mopey Friend is a success!)

When the exercise is over, they all head to the rec room to relax and unwind and maybe see if there's anything left in the cupboards after Bart's morning, pre-workout snack.

"Hey, you okay there? You didn't fall funny and hurt anything, did you?" Cassie asks, falling into stride beside Tim, Kon on his other side.

"What? No, of course not. Why?"

"You keep rubbing your hip like it's sore or something," she says nodding down to where his hand is massaging his hip.

Huh. He hadn't even realized he was doing that. "Ah, no. It's just pins and… needles…" Tim trails off, stopping mid-stride as he realizes exactly where his hand is.

Slowly, he pulls his hand away to stare at his hip.

Kon and Cassie walk a few feet further before they realize he's not with them, then stop and double-back. "Are you alright? Superman said you were pretty sick, and that you should take it easy for a bit," Kon says, obviously concerned.

"Hey, you never said he was _sick_. Don't tell me he's the one who gave us the flu." Cassie makes a face.

"I didn't have the flu," Tim says faintly. "Wait, were you two sick also?"

"For less than a day, though Ma—ah, my aunt and uncle got pretty worried. Kryptonians generally don't catch Earth diseases, so it must've been my human half." Kon makes a face, but Tim barely notices, his mind whirling.

"Oh. Uh. I think. I think we should probably. Talk? Yes, talk. But privately." Tim shoots a nervous glance at the adults and other teens, somehow managing to miss the thumbs-up Superman flashes him in his frazzled state.

"Oh, sure. My room? It's the closest," Cassie offers.

They troop off to Cassie's room, where Tim frets for all of a second before blurting out, "I think I might be soulmates with both of you but I'm not sure because everyone always says you know because of a spark or a tingle only for me it I think it's just pins and needles and it might be a bit broken in me because of all the time I've spent around Xynothium."

"That's—" Cassie starts to say, but Tim's not done yet, he's on a roll now.

That close brush with death has had him rethinking a lot of stuff and Batman keeps saying stuff about not regretting missed chances, so he keeps going. "Because it was me, I'm the one who took it from my dad and became Red X because Batman said we couldn't let anyone know we were real but Young Justice looked like a lot of fun and I wanted to meet other kids like me." He shuffles his feet, glancing back and forth between their gobsmacked faces. "Sorry I didn't say anything sooner."

" _You're_ Red X? But you're a boy!" Kon blurts out.

"Conner!"

"Er, Sorry. But—you _are_ a boy, right?"

"Uh, yeah, but—"

" _Conner_."

"What? I just wanna make sure we haven't been calling Tim the wrong thing all this time! Only really shitty soulmates would do that."

"I mean. If we are soulmates. Like I said, I don't even know if—"

"Of _course_ we're soulmates." Cassie says before Tim can go further. "You being exposed to the Xynothium explains all the bond problems Conner and I have had; it just makes sense. Though I don't know how we've missed seeing your mark."

Kon waves a hand. "That's easy. He never goes swimming with the rest of us."

"You wouldn't've seen my mark even I had gone swimming."

"Batman makes you hide it with cover-up, I bet."

"I mean, yeah, but you still wouldn't see it even if he didn't. It would be covered by my trunks."

"What? Where the hell is your mark that trunks would hide it? Is it on your ass? Oh my god is it on your di—"

Cassie slaps her hand over his mouth. "It's on his hip, idiot." She glances at Tim. "That's why you were rubbing it before, right?"

"Uh, yeah. I can't show you right now because I need a special solvent to take off the cover-up and I don't have any with me. Sorry."

"That's okay. I really don't need you pulling down your pants in my room with the door closed. Knowing my luck, my mom'd come in at the worst possible moment."

"I see your point, though it's not that far down," Tim mutters, touching the place in question. "Though I think Superman would stop your mom from just bursting in. I, ah. Think it's probably my fault he's been hanging around so much lately—I thought it might be a false mark and went to him for advice on what to do."

"Why would you go to _Superman_ for romance advice?"

"No, no. That… actually makes a lot of sense," Kon says. "He couldn't exactly go to Batman, after all, and their other soulmate is terrifying."

"Wait. Batman and Superman are _soulmates_?"

"Wow, stellar job protecting secret identities there, Kon-El," Tim grumbles.

"What, it's Cassie! She's practically family."

"Robin has a point, though. Knowing another hero's soulmate is serious business. Not even I know who Wonder Woman's soulmate is."

"What? But I'd think you of all people would," Tim says.

"She keeps a lot of secrets and I don't pry, unlike _some_ people I could name."

"No, I meant because—"

A knock interrupts and the door opens before Tim can say any more on that subject. "Alright, kids. I'll put up with a lot, but I put the limit at you two alone behind closed doors," Helena says. She blinks, then adds, "And Robin doesn't count as a chaperone."

"You can say that again," Tim says, ducking out with pink cheeks. He can't believe Cassie doesn't know her own mom's soulmate and he nearly gave it away! Yikes!

Anyway. All these confessions _should_ mean things are easier now, but Tim is still Tim and he of course starts internally panicking as soon as he's out of the room because Wonder Girl and Superboy both very cool and powerful and have been together for _ages_ (not true—it hasn't even been a year because Kon is baby) and he's just a johnny-come-lately nerd who's never managed to finish even one date! (All of his attempts at dating ended early when the other person pressed to compare soulmarks and Tim had to admit that he can't show his in public—it's not his fault other teenagers have dirty minds!)

They can lift super heavy things and punch really hard and _fly_! He's just… really sneaky? As Red X he could at least teleport but now he can't even do that anymore. Wow, he really brings nothing to this relationship, he sucks.

At which point Tim gets tacklehugged by Kon because, "Dude, being sneaky is the best! You have this really huge brain and you were the only one on the whole team who could figure out how to use the x to find Red X('s stuff) and not just because you were the one to hide it. I might not understand all the details, but I know you did some really complicated science wizardry to pull that off."

"Oh, but—"

"Also, you're still our friend no matter what you've got on your skin," Cassie adds, coming in to join the hug from the other side. "And we don't like it when people put down our friends, so you have quit doing that right now."

"Just—"

"Ma says the best things are worth working for and you're definitely worth it, dude. So stop worrying about what you _aren't_ and start thinking about what you _are_. And maybe what you—we—could be."

"Okay," Tim wheezes. "But can you both let up a little? I think you're bruising my ribs."

"Sorry," Cassie says as she and Kon relax the intensity of their embrace some. "I guess we all have stuff to learn and things to work on."

So now they are a thruple! Is that the right term? I usually go with triad but this feels better for a cute teenage polyship that's completely PG and above the waist (except for that one time when they finally get a chance to look at Tim's mark and that's all strictly hands-off, just looking at the mark and seeing that yes, it matches theirs, no hanky-panky). (Though, admittedly, Kon's TTK keeps _trying_ for more, but it's always met with stubborn resistance on account of the fact that, "Conner, you're not even a year old. We're not cradle robbers, gross." "This is an anti-clone discrimination and not cool." "We're not doing any of that stuff with each other either, stop griping already.")

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 will be a fun little epilogue about TimKonCassie doing their own trolling, so look forward to that! In the meantime, here are some Batfam-related facts for this AU that didn't make it in because they weren't relative to the triad plot:
> 
>   * Jason died in the course of a kidnapping gone wrong when Joker didn't have the patience to wait for Bruce Wayne to pay the ransom for his kid. :\
>   * Bruce didn't get involved with Ra's/the League of Assassins during his Batman training, so he and Talia have never met (yes, this means Damian doesn't exist) and she has no reason to keep tabs on Gotham.
>   * About two weeks after Chapter 4, Robin comes across a very familiar-looking kid while on patrol. [It goes something like this.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16144037)
>   * Bruce initially tries to keep catatonic!Jason a secret but that lasts all of two days before both Tim and Alfred pressure him into confiding in Clark and Lois. Clark insists on taking Jason to the Fortress and letting the machines there have a go. It's super-effective! Now there are 2 Robins.
>   * Because he doesn't have to do as much subterfuge (because Batman and Robins are urban legends), Brucie Wayne isn't really a thing. Bruce is a well-known philanthropist and businessman in the city (though people do think it's a little shady when his dead kid suddenly isn't dead anymore? but also maybe rich people are just Like That).
>   * Nightwing is still called Nightwing despite Dick not knowing Clark at the time he changed IDs because seriously he's a nighttime vigilante with an aerial theme, what was he going to call himself? "Owlman"? That's a horrible superhero name, no pizzazz!
> 



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little epilogue where they all go to a gala.

Once Bruce is officially dating Clark and Lois, they go public pretty early into their relationship. He was a little nervous about that (concerned about the intrusion into his private life, something that doesn't happen as often in this 'verse because he doesn't go out of his way to create a public persona that's mildly scandalous to feed the media), but between them both, they already know a lot the reporters who might cover it and Lois convinces them that boundaries are nice and also if they know what's good for them they will be respectful and tasteful. (Bruce and Clark are eternally grateful that Lois only uses her powers for good. Well. Good and to get a story.)

Because of this, it's reasonable for Bruce to include Clark's brother/cousin/son on the guest list by the time the annual Wayne Foundation Winter Wonderland gala rolls around. And, since this is a universe where poly soulmate relationships aren't uncommon, invites are generally you + your date(s) ("plus one" is literally not even a thing in this universe, because why would you be so rude as to assume your guest has only one soulmate?).

Please note that Tim is still coming to terms with the fact that ~~Batman~~ Bruce is actually? Interested in him/his life? Outside the Mission? So he's not the best about sharing developments in his personal life, even when said developments happened months ago.

Also, recall that Clark is a troll.

Which is how it ends up that Bruce is greeting guests with Clark (Lois is off in the crowd somewhere, having scented a story like a shark detects blood in the water) and suddenly there is this strangely familiar boy in front of him?? Beside him, Clark grins and steps forward to embrace the boy. "Conner, glad you could make it! Bruce, you remember my cousin Conner, right? So nice of you to invite him and give him a chance to see a big city other than Metropolis."

Bruce shakes his hand, because he is a Professional and of course he remembers asking Clark if he wanted to invite his family, though he was thinking his _parents_ not his _clone_. "Great to finally meet you, son. Clark's told me so much about you." Though not nearly as much as Bruce already knew from careful monitoring and surveillance.

"Thanks, Mr. Wayne. Oh, and these are my soulmates."

Bruce is thrown for a second time in five minutes! He knew Superboy and Wonder Girl were soulmates and dating, of course, but he wasn't aware they had a third soulmate. He shakes Cassie's hand (because he's not a creep who's gonna kiss the hand of a teenage girl, and also he knows better than to kiss an Amazon without permission, no matter what social niceties call for), then turns to their unexpected third and. What.

"Tim Drake," Tim says cheekily, hand extended. "This is such an honor, Mr. Wayne!"

"A native Gothamite, eh?" Bruce says, quick to recover (but not quick enough that his supersense-possessing boyfriend didn't get to enjoy that blue screen of death moment).

"Yeah! Gosh, I never thought I'd get to go to one of these—my parents used to come, but I always got left at home with a babysitter." Tim makes a big show of admiring everything with wide-eyed awe.

"Well, haha, have a good time!" Which is Batman for _you and I are having a serious talk about sharing important life developments later, young man_.

"Thanks!" Which is Tim for _you're one to talk about sharing, consider this payback_.

They share an electric anime look, taking a moment to acknowledge each other as worthy opponents before Tim drags his soulmates off into the crowd.

"C'mon," he tells them. "Jason promised he'd hide a tray of the good desserts for us, but I don't trust him not to raid them before we get there."

**Author's Note:**

> [I have a tumblr!](http://themandylion.tumblr.com/) Come visit if you want ridiculous AU headcanons, rants about the English language (and/or educational publishing), plague fangirling, adorable baby bats, and veeeeery occasional fanart.


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